A Tour Of Philadelphia: Where America Was Born

by Habeeb Salloum

As we passed Pennsylvania Hospital, my grandchild Laith who was taking us for tour of Philadelphia, remarked:  “Your first great grandchild, Bilal, was born in this hospital.

You know! It’s the oldest hospital in the U.S.”

Later during our tour of the historic parts of the city, I found that the hospital was first built by Benjamin Franklin.   As a reminder to visitors, his statue stands at the entrance to the old section of the hospital.  That day after exploring the city it became apparent to us that this famous house of healing was only one of the historic offerings Philadelphia has to intrigue visitors.

The city was the birthplace of America - the place where the founding fathers signed the Declaration of Independence. In 1790 Philadelphia, with a population of some 30,000, was the second largest city in the English speaking world, only surpassed by London.   Named the first capital of the United States, it became a prominent urban centre – identified with the U,S. and its history. Today this history impregnates the Old City with its original buildings and the most world famous museums to be found in the area.

Historic Philadelphia is not located in one section. It covers parts of the Old City and Center City and includes the Independence National Historic Park. At this Park we began our one-day tour of the city – considered to be America’s most historic square mile full with historical richness. 

In the Park where much of the American heritage is preserved our first stop was at the Independence Visitor Center, where we picked up our tickets for Independence Hall, the park’s centerpiece.  Here in this Hall the Declaration of Independence and U.S. Constitution were signed. Soon we were being guided through the Hall by a guide who seemed to enjoy her job, entertaining her flock while imbuing them with history.

Moving next door we entered the Liberty Bell Pavilion housing the cracked Liberty Bell – one of the American symbols of liberty. Held as an icon of freedom in Philadelphia, as well through out the U.S.A., it was originally located in Independence Hall and was first rung in 1753. Today the cracked bell is on display along with its historic attributes and its significance in American History.

As I surveyed the bell with so much significance to liberty and freedom I thought of the irony of its location atop a former slave compound. How times have changed! At that time, a good numbers of the signers of the Declaration of Independence were slave owners.

The Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell are two of the most important stops for visitors to Philadelphia's Historic District. There are many others.  From among these are: Carpenters' Hall, a fine Georgian building that hosted the First Continental Congress in 1774 and was home to Franklin's Library Company; Christ Church, founded in 1695, its burial ground includes the tomb of Benjamin Franklin; Second Bank of the United States, important in America’s history; Franklin Court, a complex that includes the United States Postal Service Museum, The Franklin Print Shop, and the Franklin Museum; National Constitution Center, America's most interactive history museum; and Man Full of Trouble Tavern, he only surviving tavern building from pre-Revolutionary Philadelphia.

This day the Penn museum at the University of Pennsylvania was our next stop. Containing more than one million artifacts collected from the more than 400 expeditions sent by the University to countries all over the world.  We toured for some two hours this fantastic museum examining a few of these artifacts.  We spent most of our time examining the magnificent Egyptian collection, which included the third largest sphinx in the world and hieroglyphic carvings.  Also, I was intrigued by the marble statues from ancient Greece and the breathtaking sculptures in the China Gallery. There was much more to see in this well-organized museum that had omitted an important part of world civilization – the once flourishing medieval Arab era.

On our way to our next destination, the Edgar Allan Poe’s National Historic Site - the former home of the poet-writer extraordinaire, we stopped to photograph Philadelphia’s City Hall, a dominant structure which is the largest municipal building in the U.S., before continuing to the once Poe’s abode.  

The former home of the poet-writer extraordinaire, it features Poe’s mementos, which consist mostly of papers, photos, and writings relating to Poe and his world. One of the world’s most renowned but controversial and unhappiest of the famous world poets, Poe was born in 1809 in Boston, Massachusetts to parents who were stage actors. In his short life span of forty years he became the most prolific literary journalist in U.S. history and was to become the master of hair-raising tales that pushed the boundaries which divide life from death, and a world-famous poet of his time. A master of the macabre his works first became well-known in Europe before his fame spread to America.

Poe spent many productive years in Philadelphia from 1837 to 1844. During his time in the city, he published some of his best work including The Tell Tale Hear”, The Black Cat and The Murders in the Rue Morgue.

We spent some time examining the site and its mementos before leaving for the Reading Terminal Market - a huge indoor market with every type of food stand imaginable, such as those selling southern U.S., Chinese, Italian and Indian food as well as the city’s most famous dish, the Philly Cheese Steak. One of the big attractions was the Amish, dressed in their traditional attire selling home-baked pies, freshly baked hand made pretzels and yummy cheesecakes. We sampled the southern fried chicken, the freshly homemade pretzels and unique pan-fried pierogies then sneaked to give seven month-old baby Bilal a tiny piece of cheesecake when his father and mother were not looking before we called it a day to end our tour of the city where the U.S.A. was born.   

IF YOU GO

Facts About Philadelphia:

1. he best way to see the most important attractions in the city buy a Philadelphia Pass.  It grants one access to over 35 city attractions.  See website: http://www.philadelphiapass.com/prices.asp

2. The population of Metro Philadelphia is 6.5 million and the city proper 1.6 million -  the fifth-largest city in the United States and the second-largest city on the East Coast.

3. Philadelphia’s city zoo is the oldest zoo in the United States.

4. The Italian market in Philadelphia is the oldest outdoor market in America.

5. Some trravellers have called Philadelphia the ‘number one restaurant city’, as well as ‘America's friendliest city’.

6. At night, Philadelphia is filled with activity:  cocktails bars, live music venues, as well as dancing and dining establishments are all there and open to the wee hours of the morning.  Also, about Philadelphia after dark - everything is conveniently close together within walking distance or a short cab ride away.

7. In 1946 the first computer in the world was to be found in Philadelphia.  

8. In I784, the first daily newspaper appeared in Philadelphia.

9. Betsy Ross whose home today in Philadelphia is a historic site made the first American flag.

10. Edging the 'Avenue of the Arts' to the south of the City Hall  are to be found art galleries, entertainment venues, museums and theatres.

For Further Information, See Websites:

Philadelphia travel and tourism: Websites: http://www.visitphilly.com/  or http://www.visitphilly.com/tours

Penn Museum: Website: http://www.penn.museum/Edgar

Edgar Allan Poe’s National Historic Site: Website: http://www.nps.gov/edal/index.htm